1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle including a body frame that leans and two front wheels.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vehicle is known which includes a body frame that leans to the right when the vehicle turns right and leans to the left when the vehicle turns left and two front wheels that are aligned in a left-and-right direction of the body frame (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2005-313876, German Patent Unexamined Publication No. 102010052716, U.S. Design Pat. D547,242S and Catalogo partidi ricambio, MP3 300ie LT Mod. ZAPM64102, Piaggio).
The vehicle including the body frame that leans and the two front wheels includes a link mechanism. The vehicles described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2005-313876, German Patent Unexamined Publication No. 102010052716, U.S. Design Pat. D547,242S and Catalogo partidi ricambio, MP3 300ie LT Mod. ZAPM64102, Piaggio include a so-called parallelogram-type link mechanism.
The link mechanism includes an upper cross portion and a lower cross portion. In addition, the link mechanism also includes a right side portion which supports right end portions of the upper cross portion and the lower cross and a left side portion which supports left end portions of the upper cross portion and the lower cross portion. Middle portions of the upper cross portion and the lower cross portion are supported on the body frame at the front and rear of a steering shaft.
In the vehicle described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2005-313876, a headstock of the body frame is inclined so that a lower end is positioned ahead of an upper end thereof. The upper cross portion and the lower cross portion are supported on the headstock of the body frame so as to turn about turning axes that extend in a front-and-rear direction. The upper cross portion and the lower cross portion turn relative to the body frame as the body frame leans. When the upper cross portion and the lower cross portion turn, a relative position between the two front wheels in the up-and-down and front-and-rear directions of the body frame changes. It is noted that the upper cross portion and the lower cross portion are provided directly above the two front wheels in the up-and-down direction of the body frame in such a state that the body frame is in the upright state.
The vehicle including the body frame that leans and the two front wheels includes a right shock absorbing device that supports the right front wheel so as to move in the up-and-down direction of the body frame and a left shock absorbing device that supports the left front wheel so as to move in the up-and-down direction of the body frame. The right shock absorbing device is supported on the right side portion so as to turn about a right steering axis that extends in the up-and-down direction. The left shock absorbing device is supported on the left side portion so as to turn about a left steering axis that is parallel to the right steering axis. A right front wheel is supported at a lower portion of the right shock absorbing device. A left front wheel is supported at a lower portion of the left shock absorbing device.
In this manner, in the vehicle described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2005-313876, a distance between the two front wheels is reduced by disposing the link mechanism above the two front wheels. As a result, the widthwise dimension of the vehicle is compact.
Incidentally, in the vehicle including the body frame that leans and the two front wheels whose widthwise dimension is compact, there are concerns that the widthwise dimension of the vehicle is enlarged depending upon how a pair of left and right turn signal lamps are disposed. Then, in the vehicle described in U.S. Design Pat. D547,242S, a pair of left and right turn signal lamps is provided on left and right front mud guards, respectively. In the vehicle described in U.S. Design Pat. D547,242S, by providing the turn signal lamps at those locations, the enlargement in widthwise dimension of the vehicle is prevented while preventing the interference of the right lamp and the left lamp like the left and right turn signal lamps with the link mechanism.